How to Clean a Sticky Door Lock

Table of Contents:

You Will Need
Steps to Clean the Lock
Additional Tips and Advice
Sources

Barbara said, “Some of my keys stick how do i clean them or keep them from doing double i havent tried anything other than wiping them off?”

Just as dirt and dust can gather along the edges of your doorway, it can also gather in the tiny lock chamber and cause your key to stick. Stopping the key from sticking is as simple as cleaning the lock chamber. Use the information in the steps below to get yourself out of this stick-key situation.

You Will Need:

Powdered graphite
A lead pencil
Wire
Compressed air

Steps to Clean the Lock:

The way a professional would clean out the lock is to blow a small pinch of powdered graphite into it. This can be purchased at a hardware store or auto parts store, and is often sold in a tube-like container for easy dispersal. Crushed lead from a lead pencil can be used instead.
Another way to clean out the lock is to rub a lead pencil over the edges of your key, then insert the key and wiggle it around.
A thin wire can also be inserted into the lock to knock out any debris that may have gathered inside of it.
A can of compressed air may also be helpful for dislodging debris in the lock.

Additional Tips and Advice

Never spray oil into a lock. It is an accumulation of oil and grime that makes a lock sticky.
If nothing else works, a small bit of cooking oil can be rubbed onto your key before inserting it in the lock. If the dirt or grime in the lock is too thick for it to be removed with a cleaning as described above, lubricating it can help. It may be oil/grime that is cauding the lock to stick, and like dissolves like: the new oil will loosen the old gunky oil.
Try not to touch your keys on the part that is inserted in the lock as your finger oils will be deposited onto the key and then later into the lock.